The socket or ridge preservation approach known as the “ice cream cone”
technique was used in type 2 sockets in this retrospective analysis of 11
extraction sites. A type 2 extraction socket is defined as having the presence
of facial soft tissue with a partial or complete dehiscence of the buccal
bone plate. All teeth were extracted atraumatically without flap elevation.
A resorbable collagen membrane was contoured into an ice cream cone–
shape, placed into the socket defect, and grafted with human freeze-dried
bone allograft. Buccolingual dimensional changes were measured manually
with a digital caliper sensitive to 0.01 mm on pre- and posttreatment casts
using an acrylic template and a three-dimensional (3D) digital scanner, as well
as radiographically with pre- and post-cone beam computed tomography
(CBCT) scans. All implants were placed 6 months after socket preservation
and achieved primary stability with a minimum torque value of 35 Ncm with
a mean buccal-lingual dimensional loss of 1.32 mm. The dimensional change
of the ridge from pre- to postextraction reflective of the healed grafted site
ranged from a loss of 0.46 to 2.25 mm with a mean of 1.28 mm (CBCT), 0.31
to 2.71 mm with a mean of 1.36 mm (digital calipers), and 0.21 to 2.80 mm
with a mean of 1.32 mm (3D digital scanner). All 11 implants were immobile
and clinically osseointegrated. The so-called ice cream cone technique allows
for the reconstruction of a buccal plate dehiscence to enable the placement
of an implant; however, the ridge dimension was diminished by 1.32 mm
compared with the width of the extraction socket prior to tooth removal. (Int
J Periodontics Restorative Dent 2014;34:399–403. doi: 10.11607/prd.1605

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